Apparatus for recording orchestral sound



July 22, 1958 H. FRIESS I 2,

APPARATUS FOR RECORDING ORCHESTRAL SOUND Filed July '26. 1955 one or theother of the microphones.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR RECORDING ORCHESTRAL SOUND HansFriess, Karlsruhe-Daxlanden, Germany, assignor to Siemens & HalskeAktiengesellschaft, Munich and Berlin, Germany, a corporation of GermanyThis invention is concerned with a method of and apparatus for recordingsound, especially orchestral music and the like.

In the recording of orchestral music and the like, upon gramophonerecords or tape, it was customary until now to use a plurality ofmicrophones disposed opposite the orchestra, so as to obtain aftermixing of the sounds from the individual microphones, a faithful andartistically highgrade reproduction. An intermediate magnetic carrierwas for this purpose employed. Upon the magnetic track of thisintermediate carrier were recorded the currents coming from theindividual microphones, after mixing such currents, the mixed soundsbeing acoustically controlled during the recording thereof. This controlmade itpossible for the operator to regulate separately, by

.means of suitable regulators, the currents coming from the individualmicrophones, thereby as desired or necessary emphasizing or weakeningthe currents coming from This known procedure or method has provedsuitable and has been generally accepted in practice.

In accordance with the invention, a further improvement is effected byinitially carrying out the recording upon the intermediate carrier onmultiple tracks thereof which are respectively associated with therecording devices, for example, with the microphones. The sounds whichare in this manner separately recorded are thereupon delivered to amixing device, by reproduce heads respectively associated with themagnetic tracks, the mixing device permitting separate regulation of thecurrents delivered by the individual magnetic heads. The sounds whichare in this manner regulated are mixed and recorded. The individualmicrophone currents are thereby in known manner advantageouslyseparately regulated during the recording which is effected withsimultaneous acoustic control. This control may be carried out byreproducing the individual microphone currents, or rather the recordingsthereof, during the recording, mixed, on a single loudspeaker. It ishowever recommended to allot to each microphone a separate loudspeakerwhich reproduces the corresponding recording upon the associatedmagnetic track, and to arrange these loudspeakers spatially inaccordance with the disposition of the microphones in such a manner,that the operator hears a stereophonic reproduction of the orchestrawhich is as faithful as possible.

After the sounds recorded by the individual microphones are recordedupon the various magnetic sound tracks of the intermediate carrier,there will be effected the mixing of these sounds, whereby the soundscoming from the individual sound tracks may be separately independentlyregulated.

It is in this manner possible to rectify shortcomings of the regulationresulting during the recording, for example, due to lack of time, and toobtain thereby an artistically particularly high-grade reproduction ofthe orchestra after the mixing of the currents coming from theindividual magnetic sound tracks. The mixture produced in this v2,844,663 Patented July 22, 1958 2 7 way is thereupon transmitted eitherdirectly to the gram phone record or to a tape.

It is recommended, especially in the production of gramophone recordsand the like mechanical recordings, to carry out the recording of themixed sound complex initially in known manner upon a multiple trackintermediate magnetic sound carrier and to use the resulting recordingfor the production of the gramophone records. Accordingly, twointermediate sound carriers are used for the production of gramophonerecords, one of said carriers being a multiple track carrier and theother a single track carrier.

The various objects and features of the invention will appear from thedescription which is rendered below with reference to the accompanyingdrawing showing in diagrammatic representation a preferred embodiment ofthe invention. I D

In the drawing, numeral 1 indicates a single unitary sound source, forexample, an orchestra. Facing the orchestra are four recordingmicrophones M M Associated with each microphone is a regulator, asindicated at R -R The regulated microphone currents are amplified inrespectively associated amplifiers shown at V -V Numeral 2 indicates anintermediate magnetic recorder or carrier providing for four magneticsound tracks 21-24. This carrier moves during the recording underneaththe record heads 3-6 which record the sounds coming from the individualmicrophones M M separately upon the tracks 21-24. The sounds beingrecorded are in the above noted manner acoustically controlled by theuse of the regulators R -R which are adjustable by the operator.

This acoustic control may be effected in various ways. Particularlysuitable is the control by means of reproduce heads indicated at 7-10.The currents produced by these reproduce heads, responsive to motion ofthe intermediate carrier 2 relative thereto, are respectively conductedto the amplifiers V -V and are respectively reproduced by the associatedloudspeakers L -L which may be preferably individually switched in andout by suitable switching means omitted from the drawing to keep itsimple. The placement of these loudspeakers corresponds sensibly to theplacement of the microphones M -M so that they reproduce the sounds ofthe orchestra faithfully and stereophonically.

In the lines from the reproduce heads 7-10 to the amplifiers V5-V3,there are provided regulators R R which are suitably mutually coupled sothat they may be adjusted in common to desired identical values, bycommon handle means or the like, thereby avoiding distortion of thesound complex to be recorded, coming from the microphones M -M The soundcomplex accordingly remains unaltered, that is, the reproduction by theloudspeakers L to L is effected without emphasis or weakening of one orthe other recordings from the individual sound tracks.

After producing the intermediate sound carrier 2 as above described, therecorded sounds are mixed. Switches 31-34 are for this purpose provided,which are closed, while the loudspeakers L -L are disconnected ifdesired. The currents produced responsive to motion of the magnetic tapeunderneath the reproduce heads 7-10, are respectively conducted to theamplifiers V -V by Way of the regulators R R The output currents fromthese amplifiers are mixed and, if desired, suitably reamplified incommon, may be reproduced in a loudspeaker L The listening operator isnow in a position to regulate the individually recorded sounds of thecorresponding sound tracks 21-24 by adjustment of the regulators R -Rindependent of the original recording thereof, so as to produce aparticularly high-grade reproduction of the orchestral sounds.

The sound mixture thus produced may be recorded upon the intermediatemagnetic carrier 11 or directly upon the gramophone record 12, ifdesired, with repeated regulation by the regulator R and amplificationat- V The recording of the sound mixture upon the intermediate magneticcarrier 11, by means of the record head 13 is, however, preferred. Thisrecording may be controlled by the use of a reproduce head 14. Thecurrents coming from this reproduce head may be regulated by means ofthe regulator R thereupon amplified at V14, and may serve, asschematically indicated in the drawing, for acoustic reproduction in theloudspeaker L and for actuation of the cutting mechanism 15 for therecord disk 12.

It may be mentioned that the recording devices, shown as singlemicrophones, may be respectively formed by several microphones whichmay, for example, be connected in parallel.

In carrying out the invention, it may be desirable to play back themultiple track intermediate carrier in a separate apparatus, to thesound carrier having the single sound track. It is further recommendedto use for an intermediate carrier a perforated film, that is, a filmhaving sprocket perforations along one or both margins, preferably alongitudinally split normal film, carrying the four sound tracks, and todrive it with a speed customary for such sound films.

Changes may be made within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a system for recording sounds emanating from a single unitarysource such as an orchestra, means forming a plurality of firsttransmission channels for simultaneously picking up sounds emanatingfrom spatially separated portions of said single sound source and fortransmitting such sounds, a magnetic carrier, a record head for eachfirst channel cooperating with said magnetic carrier for simultaneouslyrecording upon respectively difierent tracks thereofthe soundsrespectively transmitted over said first transmission channels, aplurality of second transmission channels, a reproduce head for eachsecond channel cooperating with said magnetic carrier for respectivelypicking up the sounds recorded on the tracks thereof by said first-namedrecord heads, means in each second transmission channel for separatelyregulating the sounds picked up by the corresponding reproduce heads,means for mixing the sounds transmitted over said second transmissionchannels, and means for recording said mixed sounds on a singlereproduce member as a unitary reproduction of said sound source.

2. A system and cooperation of parts according to claim 1, comprisingloudspeakers disposed in a spatial arrangement simulating that of thespatially separated portions of said sound source for audibly producingthe sounds picked up by said reproduce heads.

3. A system and cooperation of parts according to claim 1, comprising aloudspeaker for reproducing said mixed sounds incident to the recordingthereof as a unitary production of said sound source.

4. A' system and cooperation of parts according to claim 1, comprisingloudspeakers disposed in a spatial arra'ng'ementsimulating that of thespatially separated portions of said sound source for audibly producingthe soundsv picked up by said reproduce heads, and a loudspeaker forreproducing said mixed sounds incident to the recording thereof as aunitary production of said sound source.

5. A system and cooperation of parts according to claim 1,' wherein themeans for recording said mixed sounds comprises a further magneticcarrier, means for recording the mixed sounds upon said further carrier,means for picking up the mixed sounds from said further carrier, arecord disk, means for impressing upon said disk the mixed sounds pickedup from said further magnetic carrier, and a loudspeaker for reproducingsaid mixed sounds incident to impressing such sounds upon said recorddisk.

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,083,385 Maxfield June 8, 1937 2,246,593 Israel June 24, 1941 2,273,866Holst Feb. 24, 1942 2,733,301 Bradbury Jan. 31, 1956

